Mom's back...!

Dear Nicky,

Hooray, Mom's back from her business trip! She came home early this afternoon, and was so happy to see us both. Today was probably the best day you had in a while, in that I think whatever was troubling you, maybe your teeth, maybe a virus, has finally gone away. You ate like a champ today, and no spitting up! That's about it for tonight, pal. I'm pretty beat, but in a good way because I had you all to myself all weekend.

Love,
Dad

Thanks for putting up with me...

Dear Nicky,

Although you woke up a little too early this morning, overall you were pretty great. You ate a lot better than you have all week, leading me to think it was perhaps more than just teething that was bothering you. I know I had an upset stomach for most of the week, and most likely you did too. Today you were most like your old self, drinking and eating well, although you did spit up a number of times. But it was never a huge amount. Your sitting efforts are getting better all the time. And today we tried something new. Since you stand pretty well, I stood you up and with me behind you helping you move your legs, we walked around the room. You did great, smiling and clapping the whole time. At one point, near the red chair, you tipped forward and immediately reached out to catch yourself beautifully. That is a significant reflex. It wasn't clumsy or tentative. It was exciting to see. Well done!

Love,
Dad

Just a coupla guys...

Dear Nicky,

This morning Mom left early to go to her annual conference down in Virginia, so you're stuck with me alone again, I'm afraid. Don't worry, I think I'm starting to get the hang of this whole parenting thing. That was a joke, by the way.

This morning didn't start off too nice because of your teething. Luckily, we still have a bunch of Tylenol 3 elixir from when Doc Shlussie did his work on your downbelow back in January, so I gave you a snoot, and it worked great. You ate pretty well today, better than yesterday, which was better than the day before. Also, there was much less whining today, which I am immensely thankful for. You didn't eat a lot at dinner, but I think your caloric intake over the course of the day was pretty good.

We went for a walk this afternoon down on the pier, and we were stopped by this older couple who literally went insane over you. I tell you they were raving! They said you had eyes like Frank Sinatra, I guess because they're so blue. Then we came home, and did the usual bottle, nap, wake, feed, sleep thing.

Love,
Dad

Better today...!

Dear Nicky,

I think you're feeling better today. You ate and drank better, and got some more rest, and you were far less whiny. That's such a relief, for both of us. I'm a little beat so I'll say good night.

Love,
Dad

More whine, sir...

Dear Nicky,

Today was basically one long whine fest. Shelby tried to work on you to no avail. You napped almost not at all, maybe a little on me, but whenever you weren't being held you were crying. I know your teeth are killing you, but what's killing me is this sudden aversion to food and drink. You cry and kick and struggle. Why? It's all your favorites. Mom and I don't understand it and it makes us scared, frustrated, and tired. Tomorrow I'll see if we can go see Doc Mock and make sure you're okay. I think your plumbing is fine and I think your melon is okay too, but what the heck is going on already?

Love,
Dad

What a difference a day makes...

Dear Nicky,

So last night I went to bed really sick and feverish. Today I woke up feeling much better. You were unfortunately pretty cranky for most of the day, then I gave you some Motrin for kids. It took a long time to kick, but I think it really helped. When your PT Tim came over you were in a great mood, finally, and afterwards took a big bottle of whole milk and passed out a short while later. I hope you are sunny all day tomorrow and that your feeding improves.

Love,
Dad

Sick daddy...

Dear Nicky,

You did so well with Shelby this morning it was amazing. She held up pictures of some of your everyday things and asked you to choose "rattle," for instance, or "koosh," and you did it exactly right each time. We were so impressed. Shelby was also impressed when you did clap-clap-clap and said "yaaaay" like Mom taught you. Fantastic!

I don't feel so good tonight, Nick. If I caught it from you, I'm sorry you felt this bad. I hope you don't catch it from me!

Love,
Dad

Tough day...

Dear Nicky,

I know you're teething and that must be hugely uncomfortable for you. They say kids with T21 have it worse because your gums are thicker. You fellows don't seem to get much of break, do you? On the other hand, despite a tooth fever last night, you're clearly better today.

Also we think another milestone might have been reached. When we clap, you clap. When Mom and I say "Yaaaay!" you reply with your own version. That's pretty excellent. Also, your commando crawling is moving right along. Hopefully you'll be doing four point soon. We've been working on going from prone to sitting and I think you're making progress there, too. These are all wonderful achievements.

Lately, though, and I don't know what this means, feeding you has become a real chore. You'll whine, kick, and cry, in short through a tantrum, and not just once in a while, either. My thinking is this is a developmental thing, a transitional stage where in your mind you want to do your own feeding yourself, but physically you lack the muscle knowledge and experience. No doubt this is very frustrating for you, but we're working on it. It's equally frustrating for me too, believe me. I hope we can get this sort of thing integrated soon for both our sakes.

Love,
Dad

Poor kid...

Dear Nicky,

Those darn teeth are attacking again! They make you irritable, restless, unable to eat, drooly, and feverish. It's really been hard. Nightmarish, even. We give you some Tylenol now and then, but we don't want to give you Tylenol everything you turn around. Hearing you cry in discomfort is like being cut by a knife. Like always, I wish I could bear your burden.

Love,
Dad

Last night's thing...

Dear Nicky,

So last night some people that Mom invited to see you came over. Two-thirds of them were kind of pains, but they all thought you were adorable. It was a little late for you, and you were tired and teething, which was just as well, because if you had turned on the charm full-blast, who knows when we would've gotten rid of them.

Earlier yesterday it was a very clear, very warm day, and we ran about trying to buy a bunch of stuff for the evening's entertainment. You were so good and tolerant, even in the liquor store.

Today I was kinda beat from last night. Tim came over to do a make-up session, and you were totally happy to work with him. Then you napped, I fed you, and we had some laughs, then more food and then bed. Meanwhile Mom went out tonight with the other Step 1A moms from Stones and had a great time sharing info and opinions. By the way, they all think we're both adorable.

Love,
Dad

Lemme get back to you...

Dear Nicky,

I'm going to have to get to you tomorrow. I can barely keep my eyes open!

Love,
Dad

No eggs...?

Dear Nicky,

This morning, Shelby and I tried to give you some scrambled eggs, which you totally refused. You chipmunked in your cheeks and in the back of your mouth, then pushed them out with your tongue like one of those Play-Doh machines that extrudes shaped Play-Doh. You were really tired, though. After a brief nap and a snack, we went for a nice walk. When we came home, I was making your lunch when Edna arrived. You were so happy to see her. She tried to give you your lunch, without success, so I had to step in. Then you went for another nice walk, while I went to where else but Target. Upon my return you were napping. I went to Mickey D's for a greaseburger, then came home. You were awake and fussy, so Edna took you for another walk while I took a siesta. She played with you for a while, then it was dinner and to bed. I wish you'd eat some eggs.

Love,
Dad

Okay, I suppose...

Dear Nicky,

This morning there was hardly any traffic to delay our trip to Stones, and as a result we got there a half hour early. You did okay in PT. We worked on going from prone to sitting, and from sitting to prone. This is one of your weaker areas, so I guess it's good to work on. In speech, you kind of were below average I hate to say. I wish you were more interested in putting things in your mouth and self-feeding, and you sometimes are, but not this morning. After that, we went to the gym where I gave you a Yobaby shake with your sugar bear bottle. That you took very well. When we got home, we hung out for a while, then it was time to eat again. Then a nap. Then Tim came for some more PT. Then a bottle. Then a couple hours of fussiness till Mom came home and took you for a walk. Around one or two, a tidal wave of exhaustion came over me, and I tried to take a nap, but you decided not to allow it. Thanks, pal.

Love,
Dad

Tax day...

Dear Nicky,

Today was tax day. This year we broke about even. Shelby your therapist says she's 25 thousand in the hole with her business. That ain't no way to run a railroad. Mondays with Shelby are okay, but she loves to chat with Mom, so we lose some time. It bugs me, but not enough to say anything. See, there's going to be times when something bugs you. It's up to you to decide whether or not the bug is worth speaking up about, because there's always some kind of fallout whenever somebody says anything about something.

We did some situps, ate well, drank well, went for a walk, the usual. It was very nice outside and people admired you like they always do. Today you showed a marked increase in interest in that little Sassy car, the blue one with the popups inside. You crawled to it and played with it most effectively. Nice!

Love,
Dad

Separated on Easter...

Dear Nicky,

Today was Easter Sunday. We gave you an early morning bath, then Mom took you out to Aunt Erin's for Sunday brunch. You had a nice time. Everyone there went crazy over as usual. We had you dressed in a little striped shirt with some baby khakis. Mom fed you well, and you even chewed on some ham and ate some scalloped potatoes and cheesecake. You actually ate 'em!

Son, I didn't come because Mom was sensitive enough to see how tired I was and so she let me off the hook. In return for this kindness, I did a lot of stuff around the house that is kinda hard to do sometimes when a kid's underfoot. The biggest thing was cleaning the stove, I guess. You turn the stove on to self-cleaning mode and it locks up and goes to like 500 degrees for a number of hours. This burns up any stains and spillage inside the oven, but it makes the house really hot and releases unpleasant fumes into the air, so it was better you weren't here for that. But as always, I'm glad when you come back.

Love,
Dad

Nothing much going on...

Dear Nicky,

Tonight I'll be briefer than usual because I'm feeling pretty tired. Mom took you to the mall and got you some new clothes. You were kind of extra spitty-uppy this afternoon. We think it's due to teething, since you're otherwise fine. Tomorrow we go see your cousins and have some free chow. Aunt Erin's a good cook so there'll be lots of good eats. Okay, gotta go to bed now.

Love,
Dad

Not too lazy Friday...

Dear Nicky,

This morning Tim came over to do a make up session for a session he missed a while back. You worked extremely well with him, happily bouncing on the big ball, and very sweetly and tolerantly doing your best as he put you through your paces. It's cloudy out this afternoon, a good day for sleeping, which is what you're doing right now. When I gave you your lunch earlier, I noticed a definite improvement in receptiveness to dipping your hand in your cereal and then bringing it to your mouth. This is something we only do a few minutes a day and have only been doing it a short while and already I see improvement. I like Fridays when we don't have doctors' appointments or have to go anywhere else. It's nice to hang out quietly with my little family.

Love,
Dad

Tail draggin...

Dear Nicky,

Sorry, pal, Blogger's not working right, and I'm really tired. Not much to report today, but I'll give you the skinny tomorrow, when I'm not falling asleep at the computer.

Love,
Dad

Egg on your face...

Dear Nicky,

Wow, were you sunny today! This morning I gave you your bottle, and you took most of it. Mom had to leave very early to go to a bunch of doctors' appointments to check on Junie, who is just fine, by the way. So it was us getting ready all alone. We all woke up early, and Mom made some great coffee, and I was just full of energy that I cleaned the house, the bathroom, you, the kitchen, ran the laundry, and took a shower and shave myself all before Shelby showed up. When she got here, she worked your mouth out while I made you a scrambled egg. Yes, that's right, you had your first scrambled egg today! You didn't go nuts for it, but you ate about half quite reasonably well. Shelby said you did better than expected, then we gave you a Yobaby shake in your honey bear, and then some bananas with mixed berries. You did so well. And after Shelby left you took a nap for over two hours, despite all the crazy construction going on right outside. We had a nice lunch, then Edna came over to watch you for a while. You were so happy to see her. You guys went out for a while and I took a nap for a change. I woke up and gave you a bottle, then Edna gave you your dinner while I went and got groceries. Mom put you to bed while I made our own dinner, but you fought going to sleep till you finally succumbed around 8:30. I hope you don't wake up too late tomorrow. We've got Stones to go to.

Love,
Dad

Very photogenic...

Dear Nicky,

Today at Stones we got back our pictures of you that we had taken over a month ago. At the time we ordered the bare minimum, thinking, well, they would turn out just okay. Now we have to contact the photo company for a large re-order. I must say, with all parental prejudices aside, you are by far the cutest, sweetest little boy I have ever seen. I am certain that you are the best looking kid at Stones. I'm not disparaging the other kids, but the truth is irrefutable. Your nature, your character and personality, they come through in the photo. You look smart, happy, and loved, and that's exactly the way it is, now and forever.

Love,
Dad

Very snuggly...

Dear Nicky,

After Shelby came this morning and you impressed her with rolling the ball and clapping, I fed you, then put you down for a nap. You napped a little, then had your usual hard time transitioning from a light sleep to a deeper sleep, so I picked you up and snuggled you in the red chair for about another hour. I fell asleep at one point and woke with such a start that I woke you. You gasped and started too, and then went right back to sleep. It was pretty sweet to see. It was nice out and we later went for a walk. The winds were fairly strong and steady and I think they made you fuss a little, so we came back and you took another nap. Again, you had a hard time transitioning and again I snuggled you. I just couldn't help it, you're so darn snuggly.

Love,
Dad

Nothing too exciting...

Dear Nicky,

Sorry, pal, not much to report today. Mom took you out to Granny's for the afternoon. The fresh air knocked you out good. When you came home, you wanted your dinner and wanted to go straight to bed. I hope your congestion is doing better. It seems to be, but then you wake up snotty in the morning. We hope it's teething related, not a lingering cold or God forbid a sinus infection. See you in the morning!

Love,
Dad

Mom's online friends...

Dear Nicky,

We introduced you to regular milk today, and you seemed to tolerate it just fine. We had a lot of laughs, even though you hardly napped. Earlier in the morning I suctioned a bunch of snot out of your nose, making your breathing much more comfortable for the rest of the day. You're welcome. Some of Mom's friends from the Internet were in town and they came over to see you. We could tell they were really impressed with you. You guys went to Trinity for lunch while I went to Target. I came back and fed you and you crashed soon thereafter. You gotta nap more!

Love,
Dad

12 month checkup...

Dear Nicky,

This morning we went to the pediatrician for your one year exam. It was crowded but they run a tight ship over there and we didn't wait long. You weigh 22 pounds, five ounces, you're 30 inches in length, and your head's grown an entire quarter percentile, going from the twenty-fifth percentile to the fiftieth. As a matter of fact you were 50 percentile across the board, which is middle of the road and nice and balanced all around. They did a blood test for lead, which came back fine. The doc said you're doing fine. They gave you a TB stick, a chickenpox vaccine, and a prevnar shot. I don't even know what prevnar is. You cried but recuperated quickly. We came home, where you ate a nice lunch, napped, we played some (you roll a ball and clap your hands now), read some, ate, and went to sleep. Nothing too eventful, which is refreshing.

Love,
Dad

Oy, what a day...

Dear Nicky,

I think more teeth are on the way, judging from your discomfort and your ruddy cheeks. This morning I got up super early in order to shower and shave before going to Stones so I wouldn't look like a total bum. This morning, however, you wanted to sleep in, so I had to actually wake you at seven. You barely had anything to eat or drink. Then it was time to leave. Oddly enough we had no trouble with traffic this morning. Usually it takes us 15 or 20 minutes just to leave Hoboken, but not today. At Stones you worked with Lynne or Lynn, I'm not sure how she spells her name. You were hungry, cranky, and snotty, so it wasn't a lot of fun, although she did rave about how gorgeous you are, on and on. You did better in OT. PT's getting a little crowded these days. At home, you ate most of your lunch, then you went down for a nap. So did I and I woke up when the front desk called up to say Kristine was here. You did well with her and she commented that she sees a difference in just the last week. Then we hung out, with you in various moods, and played around till Mom came home. She was so happy to see you, and you were happy to see her. You fussed over most of your dinner, then we gave you a snoot of Tylenol and dumped you into bed. You needed a little more snuggling, so I gave it to you and you finally went to sleep. Tomorrow we go to Doc Mock's office for your one year check up, and maybe some shots too, I'm sorry to say.

Love,
Dad

Snow in springtime...

Dear Nicky,

Would you believe it snowed this morning? It was a total whiteout for a brief while. It happened after Shelby left. You drank a little from one of those sport bottles and chewed really well on a Slim Jim, which you held yourself. You napped and ate well, then Edna came over and kept an eye on you for a while. Boy, does she adore you, and you adore her! She's a small girl, so maybe that's why you like her. Frankly, I'm surprised she can pick you up so easily. You look like you weigh almost half her weight. Mom comes back tomorrow night. In the morning we go back to Stones. I hope the traffic doesn't kill us and I hope we're both rested and refreshed in the morning. I'm going to bed right now!

Love,
Dad

Bachelors again...

Dear Nicky,

Mom had to go out of town for a sales conference for the next two nights, so you're stuck with me solo 24/7 for the next two days. Gee, I hope I can remember to feed and change you!

This morning Mom took you to SS again, where you did great in PT and you managed to chew on a Slim Jim, held all by yourself, for nearly thirty seconds. Jessica was so thrilled, and I was so thrilled to hear it. While you guys were out enjoying yourselves, I did a ton of laundry, cleaned the house, and went to the store. By the way, Mom came up with a new name for Stepping Stones: just plain Stones. I like it, and I may use it in place of SS.

After Mom left for the airport, Tim your PT came over later and as usual he worked you out very good. He's an excellent PT and always very upbeat. We hung out for a while, rolled around together, had dinner, then I put you to bed. I'll be sleeping on the couch tonight because it's closer to your room and I can hear you just fine, and also this is a darn comfortable couch. Tomorrow, it's Shelby and Edna, and probably a trip to Target for your old man. Eh, what can you do?

Love,
Dad

Sleepy Monday...

Dear Nicky,

What a difference weatherwise in only 24 hours. Yesterday, it was gorgeous, warm, and sunny, not a cloud in the sky. Today is the exact opposite. Cold, dreary, and not a hint of sun. Shelby came over this morning, just after you had a trifecta, a freak out over congestion and snot, a loaded diaper with a bomb, and some spit up all over just to round things out. I got you cleaned up just in time. Later we did some oral therapy. You really love those toothettes for some reason, but you're not interested in chewing very much. I also dipped your hand in the food and then put it to your mouth as another technique type thing. After that you needed a bath, so for the first time I gave you one in the tub alone. It wasn't so hard at all. Now you're taking a nice nap. This evening you'll probably have some dinner and then go down for the night. Exciting, right?

Love,
Dad

The beach...!

Dear Nicky,

It was such a gorgeous day today we went for a drive down to Island Beach State Park. I've never been there either, but Mom has. It's great. It's like a nature preserve and is almost completely undeveloped. We brought a little cooler with some subs and spread out a blanket and just hung out and enjoyed the beautiful weather and the great sea air. We went down by the water a little ways and you watched the surf come roaring in. You had your little hood up so you would get your head burned. You liked it fine. We gave you some lunch and then your teeth started acting up again, so we had to give you a snoot of Tylenol. Soon you were asleep on the blanket and slept for almost an hour in the fresh salt air. That's gotta be good for you. Hopefully it helped your sinuses, but I think the problem there is more teething oriented than anything else. It was a very nice way, this trip, to pass a lovely afternoon with our little family.

Love,
Dad

The day after...

Dear Nicky,

So yesterday was your birthday, my beloved son, and you were so good and well behaved. But this morning, and I mean really early this morning, you woke up with your teeth killing you and also dying of thirst. We gave you another bath to soften up your congestion, which we're pretty sure is coming from teething, and to loosen up the crusty boogers cemented onto the tip of your nose. It was pretty tough till about noon, then we got large amounts of food into you and some Tylenol, after which your mood turned hugely sunny, as it is your natural state, and we all had a bunch of laughs making faces and tickling you. Then you crashed for your afternoon nap about an hour ago, and you're still down, thank goodness. This teething is really a nightmare. I hope it's not like this for all your teeth. Holy smokes!

Love,
Dad